Rage
by CocoDisney
Summary: Steven Universe: The Movie AU. Bitter about being abandoned and forgotten at a garden, Bismuth heads to Earth, mind bent on revenge. But perhaps a certain gem hybrid can convince her to let go of the past.


(Note:** I don't own ****_Steven Universe_****. It belongs to Rebecca Sugar.)**

**I decided to expand upon Chapter 27 of JustAnotherGeekyAuthor's fic, ****_If Only We Would Listen_****. I made the suggestion of the AU where Bismuth and Spinel swapped places, and, while I'm glad with the result, I can't help but wonder how the movie would've played out. **

Bismuth overlooked all the destruction her injector was causing. Sick, twisted pleasure manifested inside her, burying her repressed guilt. That traitor and her precious friends would be too busy saving people to stop the poisoning. Her plan _worked_.

It all started centuries ago, when Bismuth had been a part of the Crystal Gems. Seeing her friends killed spawned a darkness inside her that lead to her inventing a weapon that would've won the war for them. But Rose, the leader, refused to use the Breaking Point, arguing that it went against everything they stood for. In Bismuth's rage, she went in for an attack, only to get herself dissipated.

When she reformed, she found herself inside an abandoned garden on a floating asteroid, Rose nowhere in sight. And the warp pad was inactive. Bismuth stayed there for thousands of years, with nothing to do but think. Rose, her leader, her ally, her _friend_, betrayed her. The swirling black hole of darkness only grew deeper with each passing moment. By the time a nearby Diamond Line Communicator glowed pink, she was just a shell of her former self.

As if her life wasn't broken already, Rose just _had_ to reveal herself as Pink Diamond and assume a new form, pretending to be an organic. Garnet, Pearl, some amethyst, and everyone had bought her lies, and, at the same time, forgiven her for her past deceit. But Bismuth knew better. She decided she had to do something, but, with no way to escape, how?

Her answer came when one of her old friends, Spinel, just happened to warp into the garden. At first, they were overjoyed to see each other, but the rejoicing soon turned into arguing when Rose was brought up. Spinel defended her, insisting she was dead and "Steven" was his own person. She revealed she'd been betrayed herself by Rose, using that as proof this was no game. Bismuth didn't buy it, and, seeing that the warp pad worked, ran and transported herself to a random planet. All the pain and heartbreak finally caught up with her and she retreated into her gemstone with a _poof!_

When Bismuth came to, she was different. Both physically and mentally. Her new form reflected her state of mind. Her apron and pants were now tattered and torn, a strap sliding down her shoulder. Her tattoo, instead of a star, was a bleeding heart. Her belt was now red and jagged to the point where it didn't resemble anything. Bands wrapped around her forearms and wrists. She wore only one boot, and her hair now stuck out everywhere and its colors were dulled down. Dark circles surrounded her eyes, which were now white with black sclera.

This new Bismuth had her mind set on only one thing: revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge.

She realized the planet she traveled to had an abandoned warehouse with unused weapons lying around. Among them, was an already-full injector and a rejuvenator. After figuring out how to operate the injector, she set out for Earth.

She caught everyone by surprise. She let loose all her rage and bitterness, which allowed her to triumph over Garnet, the amethyst, and Pearl, their reset gemstones quickly falling to the ground. For some reason, Rose didn't poof, no matter how many times she hit her with the weapon.

Rose tried to reason with her, acting like she didn't know what was going on. She eventually managed to win their game of tug-of-war and swiped at Bismuth with the weapon, slicing her diagonally. Bismuth grinned before she poofed, knowing that most of the Crystal Gems were gone, the Earth would die, and all her hurt would be erased.

For a while, things were good. She was back to being a servant, eagerly awaiting orders to build. She watched as Rose found comfort with Spinel, a peridot, and a lapis lazuli, the latter two apparently also being a part of the team. Spinel explained that she worried something like this would happen, and was sorry for not giving everyone a heads-up. She also encouraged Rose to not give up on her friends, some of what she was saying sounding very familiar. But Bismuth shook it off.

She watched as Ruby and Sapphire fused, and Rose managing to revive the amethyst. She watched as the latter and a blonde organic sang at a rock show, the lyrics of the song hitting something deep inside her. The final straw came when Rose combined with a human and brought Pearl back, forgetting all about her. She caught Rose's eye before running off.

Rose found her crying at a galaxy warp pad, asking what was going on. She managed to coax some memories out. So Bismuth took Rose to the place she had been abandoned at.

In a flood, everything came back to her as she explained her ordeal. With it, came the hurt and bitterness. Her form glowed, and shifted through her many outfits before stopping at her recent one. But, as she now had had a chance to reflect, something new flickered to life inside her, guilt over what she'd done. It wasn't fully a flame yet, though.

She also saw the differences between this Rose and past Rose. This Rose only listened to her story, sympathized with her, and offered her a second chance, which she gladly took. For just a moment, Bismuth wondered if this Rose was actually telling the truth for once.

It all turned out to be a ruse when Rose turned her back on her after using her to get the injector out. She immediately reached a conclusion when the rejuvenator fell out of her pocket. In a flash, the injector was back in the ground, and she dominated the battlefield.

Rose refused to attack her with the scythe, even snapping it over her knee for emphasis. Then, Garnet returned, and it was clear that Bismuth wasn't going to win this fight, now that the tides had turned. So, with a few leaps, she got to the top of the injector and emptied its entire load.

Now, here she was, looking at the outcome of her actions. The guilt kept gnawing at her, even as she ignored it. _Rose deserves this_, she told herself. _It's her own fault this happened_.

Some footsteps came behind her. "Bismuth? Come on. We can talk this out."

Bismuth didn't turn around. "Quit it, Rose. No more games."

A sigh of annoyance preceded before a shout of "Bismuth, this isn't a _game_!"

The rainbow gem acted on impulse, punching Rose in the face, causing her to tumble to the edge. Bismuth quickly ran up and grabbed her by her jacket sleeve, holding her over the edge. She gazed at her with a dark look, overlooking the fact that there was a red liquid dripping out of her nose.

"You know something, Rose? I came here to Earth to punish everyone for believing your lies, and, for those who knew, keeping the lies intact. But this is the moment I've been waiting for. The rejuvenator may have not reset you, but it did cripple you. Perfect," Bismuth sneered, her voice thick with rage and hurt.

Rose could only stare in horror, whimpering as she struggled to hold on. Bismuth continued. "Now, all that lying could only go so far. It's finally caught up to you. Goodbye, _princess_!"

She loosened her grasp finger by finger, relishing in the picture of Rose letting out little screams as she wriggled in the air. This went on for a few moments before she finally yelled, "I don't get it!"

Bismuth paused, her eyebrow raised. "Huh?"

"Why aren't my powers back? Aren't I reliving every horrible thing that's ever happened to me? A gem I barely know is trying to kill me, I'm paying for stuff my Mom did that had nothing to do with me, I'm struggling with my powers, the world's about to end. What piece could I be missing? This is the story of my life!"

Tears were now spilling out of Rose's eyes, as her voice cracked. Bismuth frowned, then laughed bitterly. "Oh, Rose. End this charade. You know very well there's no use in keeping this up. You're a diamond. Since when do diamonds change? Simple, they don't."

Bismuth then noticed Rose had a look of realization. "Change. _Change_! That's it! The final piece! When I first joined the Crystal Gems, I made lots of mistakes and worried that I wouldn't ever become a true member. But I learned from my failures, and I grew! Oh my gosh, all this 'happily ever after' stuff had made me forget the first power I ever had: the power to change!"

Rose's gem then began glowing. Desperate, Bismuth let go of her, but it proved fruitless when Rose hovered in the air. She summoned shields, her bubble, and many variations of it. She then slowly landed on the ground of the injector.

"_I can make a promise. I can make a plan. I can make a difference. I can take a stand._" Rose healed her nose as she stared at Bismuth with a determined look. Bismuth's conscience told her she had no chance of fighting against a diamond and winning, but her rage took control. She growled, shapeshifting her hands into hammers. Rose continued to speak out to her.

"_I can make an effort, if I only understand. That I...I can make a change!_"

Bismuth lunged at her, Rose blocking her hits with her shield. "Listen to me, Bismuth. I understand. After everything you've been through, you must be in a lot of pain."

Those words struck a chord inside Bismuth, even as she tried to resist it. "No...no, stop!" Bismuth spewed out her retaliation. "_Look what you've done to me. You just tossed me like I was nothing. You can't change the way I feel. What makes you think I can heal?_"

"That's right, Bismuth! Only you can change the way you feel!" In response, Bismuth just snarled, captured Rose in her hands, and tossed her into the air as hard as she could. Almost immediately, she felt a force lifting her up and bringing her to meet Rose.

"_You can make it different. You can make it right. You could it make it better! We don't have to fight._"

Rose's eyes shined with tears, as the moon illuminated her. Bismuth's face began to fall, as tears came to her own eyes.

"_You could make an effort! Starting with tonight! That you…_"

In a last ditch attempt, Bismuth snarled, and morphed her hand into the largest hammer she could manage.

"_...you can make a change._"

"Just...shut...UP!" Bismuth screamed, her voice choked with raw pain, tears streaming down her face. She brought her giant hammer down on Rose, feeling her summoning a shield just in time. Bismuth descended slowly.

As she floated down, Bismuth thought of the fight she'd just had. Every hit she had inflicted on Rose was only blocked, making them worthless. That got her thinking…

_Is this all worthless?_

As soon as those words came to mind, Bismuth snapped back to her senses. She gazed at the damaged planet with new eyes. The very same planet she'd fought hard to protect, yet had destroyed so quickly. The planet where her _friends_ lived…

Her guilt finally broke free, overwhelming her. As she landed on the injector, she burst into broken sobs and hunched in on herself.

Rose dissipated her shield and crawled over to the guilt-stricken gem. "Bismuth…" she started.

Bismuth looked up with glistening eyes. "Is...is it true you're not Rose?"

Rose nodded her head. "I know it's a hard truth to accept, but yes."

At that, Bismuth reached another realization: she had been so consumed by rage, she had refused to listen to reason, and had failed to notice the obvious clues that the one she was attacking wasn't Rose. Why she didn't poof when she was hit by the rejuvenator, why her voice sounded different, why she wasn't pink, why she was bleeding… If only Bismuth had listened to Spinel!

At the thought of Spinel, Pearl and Garnet also came to mind. What was she thinking? Resetting them like that? She admired Pearl for her independence and fighting skills, and Ruby and Sapphire were her favorite couple. How could she take that all away? Same went for the amethyst she didn't know, but was sure she didn't deserve getting rejuvenated. And Spinel...she may have not been hit, but she was the reason Bismuth got out in the first place. What would they think of her now?

Bismuth continued to weep over her actions, Rose - no, Steven - laying his hand across her back and comforting her. It was interrupted when the cracked surface of the injecter suddenly glowed, and beams shot out of the openings. Bismuth and Steven could only glance at each other as the machine exploded, sending debris in all directions, Steven quickly bubbling himself and his companion.

The bubble landed on the ground, and Steven made it disappear. Bismuth got a good look at the drained planet.

"Oh, no. What did I do?" Bismuth panicked.

"Hey, hey. Don't worry. We can fix this," Steven assured her.

"I'm sorry," she responded.

"I know you are. I forgive you."

"What." Bismuth stared at him in disbelief.

Steven took her bigger hands into his smaller ones. "Okay, I admit, I'm a little mad, but not at you. I'm mad at my mom, as she indirectly caused this. Also, kinda at myself as well, as I sent that message."

"That doesn't change the fact that this was my doing!"

"You're right, but you feel remorse. You want to make amends. I'm no Garnet, but I think your friends will accept you back."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

Bismuth smiled. Steven then noticed her eye bags looked lighter, and her eyes looked normal, black pupils with eye whites.

They then heard someone calling out for Steven. "Uh, would you mind me leaving for a sec?" the half-gem asked.

"No."

Bismuth watched as Steven embraced his human friend and his pet lion. Then, a van came, and out popped Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, a human, and Spinel. They all hugged.

Bismuth longed to have those connections again. She then thought back to that peridot and that lapis lazuli. If the Crystal Gems had adopted her brutal tactics, would they be here? No. They probably would've been shattered on sight.

Steven then turned and walked back over to her, followed by Spinel. Bismuth didn't know what to expect, but a pair of rubbery arms stretching around her body certainly didn't come to mind.

The rainbow gem then found herself returning the hug. When they pulled apart, Spinel said, "I forgive you, Bismuth. I know exactly how you feel. I've been in your place before. I've tried to kill Steven because I thought he was Rose. When I learned the truth, I thought I wouldn't be accepted back, but I was. And you will, too."

Garnet and Pearl then walked over. "We forgive you as well. It'll take some time, but we can be close as we once were." Garnet then bent down and wrapped her arms around her old friend's body, joined by Pearl. Spinel and Steven followed the lead.

For the first time in ages, Bismuth felt at home. Tears falling out of her eyes, she hugged her friends and relaxed.

The reunion was only interrupted by the sound of a ship descending.

**If you want elaboration on Bismuth and Spinel's argument, and how Spinel's story plays out in this universe, go check out the story I mentioned above.**

**Bismuth's design is based on her earlier concepts. Some of Steven's speech was also taken from storyboards of the movie.**

**I know the ability to make others float belongs to Steg, and I could've had Bismuth just shapeshift herself into a spring like Spinel did to launch herself, but I thought Steven using his powers to bring her over was more meaningful. And, like I said, this is an AU.**

**I do not own the song _Change_****. It belongs to Rebecca Sugar. And, for Bismuth's verse, I was inspired by the extended covers of the song.**

**Well, this AU was fun to explore. CocoDisney out!**


End file.
